You are my brother

I can understand why he wants to have a brother - it's so much fun! (My guess is that it's very different from having Simon as a brother.)

Tonight, Kernan and Nolie gchatted Mr. Woo saying that they had something for us. While I was initially thinking that they bought us a kitchen appliance, my idea changed as soon as I saw that window. I now know what Google Video is! This was my third time video-conferencing and by far the best one. As soon as I saw Kernan with his guitar (and Nolie looking like a bandit) I knew what was coming.


The concert program:

• My Redeemer Lives
• When I Think About the Lord
• Jesus, Thank You
  

Sound familiar? I believe our facial expressions often resembled that of Kernan's here:

Then for the encore performance:

• Lucky (which we had to keep telling them was actually Thankful)

All in all, a splendid evening but(!) who are we to not join? (hehe) Thus, the sing-off began. Soon, Jeremiah was guest starring in on the fun. And we definitely can't forget the guys busting out the aviators and "rapping."

Oh what a night. I love having a brother-in-law to share these spontaneous (and other times planned) events with. :)

And we're back...!

Back to work, back to cooking/cleaning, and back from our getaway to Napa!

Mr. Woo and I had planned for this long weekend to be Family Time. But after learning that a bachelorette party would be held for 2 days in Napa, we relocated to the vineyards so I could at least make it to the celebratory dinner.

We waited until Saturday to book a last-minute special (there's a frugalista tip for you) at La Belle Epoque. Since we had made our previous semi-local getaway to a Bed & Breakfast, we had high expectations. Sunday after church, we headed out to help Napa's economy. Upon arrival, we found a cute and lavishly decorated room that was very spacious, secluded, and playing classical music from the radio. It was in the "basement" of the house and next to the wine cellar, which we were also free to use outside of the Wine Tasting Hour in the evening. The wi-fi didn't work down there, only 4 mini (but scrumptious) cookies (as far as I could taste) lay waiting for us, and the owners were nowhere in sight. Otherwise, the cable was working, we located the movies in the house, had ample drinks in the mini fridge, and found many places to be walking distance. (I also appreciated their humor.)

I milked the cable TV (yay, Food Network!), was startled when the jets in the tub started blowing air while I was still in it (I think it was to dry off the tub... pretty cool, but scared me like no other - think "The Clown"), enjoyed the amenities and cottage-like feel to the place, and had a relaxing time away from work.

And what's a B&B without breakfast? The next morning, we found a oversized basket out in front of the room with breakfast, coffee, and juice.












After we checked out, he headed off to a wine tasting salon to learn about this practice. Then it was to St. Supery, a vineyard north of La Belle Epoque. We opted for this route because it was a self-paced tour and free of charge. We watched the grape crushing process in the back and even tasted some of the grapes that would later become wine. Some were sweet; others were sour.















"A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit." - Matthew 7:18













Doesn't this one look like he's going to pull out a carton of orange juice (a la the commerical)?

Spending time with Mr. Woo and not feeling the need to constantly check e-mail or brainstorm ideas for more effective teaching was wonderful. Another part of the trip that made me happy was the perfectly lined rows of trees/vines. It made me happier than seeing pencils set parallel to sheets of paper!

With these happy thoughts I leave you with. Happy labor(-free) day!

Fashion School Bug

An episode with Mr. Woo and Mr. H in the afterschool room, and Mrs. Woo on the side entertained...

Mr. Woo: Boys, do you know how to dress yourselves?

Boys: We wear uniforms!

Mr. Woo: Okay, here's what you do. Alright, you boys ready? You ready to write this down? Boys, if you have a hard time dressing yourself here's what you do: it's two words - get married.

Student: Or live with your mom!

(Mr. and Mrs. Woo look over at Mr. H, who is currently living at home due to the minimal subject teacher's wage - and maybe his super generosity.)

Mr. H: You know what? It's not the clothes that make a man (Note: this is how this whole conversation began). It's how big his heart is.

Hm, maybe you had to be there, but it was pretty funny. It makes having students in my classroom ALL day worth it.


In other news...

I was afraid of the jumping bug that one of my girls pointed out, so being the calm, composed, and slick teacher that I am... I asked for a boy volunteer to squish it. But let out a small yelp when I witnessed it jumping. very high. toward my desk. which I was questioned about later by one of my boys, "Mrs. Woo, what happened back there?" -_-

Room of Living

I'm becoming quite fond of our living room. Not because we've finally acquired more seating (that's another post to come) but because of the fond memories in this room.

Thus far, we have had:

• one gymnastics competition
  
• a couple proms
• few movie nights
  
• several dinner + movie dates
  
• and countless study halls

...all by our two-some. :)

Which room do you enjoy living in most? Why?

How do you wake up Lady Gaga?

Poker face!

Get it??? HahahAHaHa
(courtesy of Christine M.)


Poker Night #4 was a quick (or long) one - depending on which side of the spectrum you were sitting on.

Contestants:
plus, yours truly.


Dinner:
Whole wheat penne rigate
with onion and garlic marinara sauce
and shrimp
Garlic bread

Dessert:
Pazooki
(French vanilla + Chocolate chip)

How dare you think that I was cheating!
I just wanted a picture of the pazooki!

Update:
We're always changing up "the look" of the dealer button. Once a capo; another time an egg shaker. This time, Mr. Woo brought out the awww-factor.

(Note: The picture was taken this past year when Lifetouch came to school for Spring Picture Day. The photographer posed us, and the kids in line took turns in yelling out "ewwwwww!!!")



Our defender from the last tourney was actually the first one out. The plus side was that he could enjoy his cookie worry-free.

In the end, it was the two who aggressively wanted in on the Hall of Fame. It was pretty humorous to find out, near the end, that DMT had been playing this whole time (this being his second time) thinking that 2 was the highest. That's Deuces (aka Big Two), brother...

In the end, a long way there, it was Mr. Woo who (finally) earned his place in the championship tournament that is to come in the future. Congratulations, Hubby! Good effort, DMT!














See y'all next month... if you can put your chips where your mouth is. :P

Walls + Neckties

"How was your summer vacation?" one of the parents asked me tonight. Well, let's see... I taught summer school, had a huge class, which included special needs students, and had one week off before being summoned back for meetings and prep even though the first day of school is August 19... "Not long enough."

I thoroughly enjoy meeting (most) parents because their children make so much more sense to me once I do so. This year's Orientation Night was an exciting one because most of the students have seen me around and may even had some interaction with me (outside of yearbook signing, which some turn into a competition of who can collect the most).

It went rather smoothly, and some students who showed up (despite being asked not to by the school) seem to like me already. I already have one picture to hang on my wall! :D

Because I only have a (drama-filled) class of 14 this year, I'm quite ambitious in what I'd like to accomplish. One of these goals is to even further create a warm learning environment. The first thing I did was put up lots of color.

This is my Welcome Board. All of 3rd grade class really needs to get along. Of course, only God can change their hearts (since the problem is sin - not behavior modification like some like to believe) so we will be diving into the Word for some massive light-shining. One of the ideas we 3rd grade teachers had was to use puzzle pieces to show that they are all the same and a part of a whole. None of this "No, you're MY best friend!" nor "You're ugly!" business. (If I hear one thing like that in the classroom.... ohhhh, boy/girl, you better apologize immediately.)

This is my Accelerated Reading board. All students are required to reach a certain number of points for this program each quarter. Once they have done so, I will write their name on a big, glittery sun and add it to the board to show that they have met their goal. I haven't added a caption to it yet. I'm thinking "AR Stars" or "Above and Beyond." What do you think?

My favorite part of the entire room (not because it's behind my desk) is the last wall I can show you tonight. I came to learn early on that I was a stars and apples teacher - I liked all things stars and apples. My calendar had to an apple, my welcome sign on my door had to be an apple, the name labels on students' cubbies had to be apple, their nametags on their desk were apple. You've seen the star theme for my AR board, and on top of that I bought more star labels, stickers, and even use "class stars" as one reward system. But one change I made this year, aside from all this color, is my "real" tree! It's beautiful with its pair of green leaves that I cut and folded myself. My class verse (Proverbs 9:10) will be posted on it soon, as well as a nest with a bird - once I make them. This season board will journey through all the seasons will us. In the fall I'll change the leaves to orange, yellow, and red. When winter arrives, I'll make my tree "barren" and with "snow." The nest, of course, will be empty since I have no motive to kill any birds - unless it's two or three with a stone... Then in the spring I can bring back my birdie and its nest and then(!) add those little fluffly chicks!!! How excited I am to incorporate all these new ideas this new school year. Even when I am on vacation, my brain is still working as a teacher (the teacher curse) and in times like these, it really pays off. Hoorah!

Apparel. Because we were rushing to complete a number of tasks before dashing out the door, Mr. Woo asked me to pick out an outfit for him to take to school (we had left in the morning). So I filled the shoes of Stacey and Clinton and picked out a couple of outfit. Both were created business casual and a look that I'd be happy to see my husband wearing.
How'd I do?

THE LEFT (modern/trendy) - Grey pants with white pinstripes. Blue striped white shirt. Black Tie. Cufflinks required.

THE RIGHT (simple/safe) - Khakis. White shirt. Blue/white striped tie.

Mr. Woo picked the one on the left. However, he later changed his mind due to the difficulty he has in tying that particular tie.

It's that time of month...

Poker Night #4!!!

You're invited!

Who: The first 5 people to sign up!
What: To our monthly PN
When: Monday, August 17 @ 6pm
Where: The Woo Residence
Why: For some "all in" action

Entrance Fee: Free, includes dinner
Rides: Not provided

Those who reply after the first 5 will be considered the "waiting list." Don't delay; reserve your spot today!

The Woo Society's Hall of Fame:

1. Mrs. Woo
2. (J)onny/Mrs. Woo
3. Freddy
4. It could be YOU!

By the way, there will also be a championship tournament for all those in the Hall of Fame, so get your name in there!